Brian Holt Wins Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
12/9/2011 1:58:00 PM | Men's Soccer
HOOVER, Ala. - Creighton men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Holt has been
selected as the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I men's
soccer. The formal announcement and trophy presentation will be made tonight by Lowe's, an
official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, during halftime of the second College Cup semifinal
at Regions Park.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men's soccer coaches,
national soccer media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding
senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I men's soccer. To be eligible
for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I
senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community,
classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and
Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS
Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their
platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their
communities.
“I am extremely
honored to be chosen as the recipient of this fine award. My parents and other
family members, instructors, advisors, friends and the Creighton community have
influenced me as a person and guided me as I worked to reach my academic goals
as a student and in becoming a caring and active member of my community,” Holt
said.
“My accomplishments in soccer could not have been achieved without the
skill, dedication and determination of my teammates, coaches and trainers at
Creighton. It is important to value personal character, academic success and
community involvement of athletes as well as their athletic accomplishments,
and the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award does just that. There are many seniors who
also are well deserving of this award as men of character, who work hard in the
classroom, care about and are involved in their community, and have impacted
their college soccer program with their talent and competitive spirit. I
congratulate all of them for their accomplishments.”
The
Omaha native has a cumulative grade point average of 3.73 in finance and
entrepreneurship. He is a
two-time member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and a Dean's List
honoree. He was recently named the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year for
men's soccer. He is active in several
different volunteer activities, volunteering his time at a camp for children with
cancer, helping with collections for relief efforts in Haiti and assisting the
homeless at Helping the Homeless and the Siena Francis House homeless shelter.
“The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award is a very prestigious recognition and I am thrilled that Brian is the recipient of this award. Brian epitomizes the phrase 'student-athlete' by the way in which he conducts himself on and off the playing field,” Creighton head coach Elmar Bolowich said. “Brian does not take any shortcuts to success. He is a leader by example and the most humble and supportive teammate. He has an exceptional ability to focus on the task at hand, and his competitive spirit allows him to achieve extraordinary success.”
As a team captain, Holt led the Bluejays to the College Cup
as the No. 2 seed, entering their semifinal match against Charlotte with a
21-2-0 record. Holt entered the
semifinals leading the NCAA with a 0.22 goals against average and 91.9 save
percentage. A MAC Hermann Trophy
semifinalist, his 57 career wins and 0.63 career goals against average are both
school and league records. The
fifth-year senior also has 43 career shutouts, which is an NCAA record
according to this year's NCAA record book.
The MVC Goalkeeper of the Year, Holt was also the MVC Tournament MVP and
was named an NSCAA All-Midwest Region First-Teamer earlier on Friday.
“Brian comes
from a family that has deep roots in the Creighton community. Like other
members of his family, he has excelled both as a student and as an athlete at
the university,” said David Geren, Lowe's vice president of
marketing. “His
success this season is a fitting tribute to his hard work and determination to
leave a legacy at the school.”
Fans can watch Holt and the No. 2-seeded Bluejays play Charlotte tonight at 5 pm on ESPNU.
